William Wentworth
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William Charles Wentworth (August 179020 March 1872) was an Australian pastoralist, explorer, newspaper editor, lawyer, politician and author, who became one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures of early colonial
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
. Through his newspaper ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'', and as a founder of the
Australian Patriotic Association The Australian Patriotic Association is considered the first political party in Australia. It was formed in 1835 by a group of influential colonists of New South Wales which had among its leaders William Wentworth, the son of a convict woman and ...
, Wentworth was among the first colonists to promote a nascent form of
Australian nationalism Flag of Australia Australian nationalism asserts that the Australians are a nation and promotes the national and cultural unity of Australia. Australian nationalism has a history dating back to the late 19th century as Australia gradually deve ...
. He was also the leading advocate for a political system of self-government in the Australian colonies that was controlled by affluent land-owning
squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
, derided by his critics as the "
bunyip aristocracy Bunyip aristocracy is an Australian term satirising attempts by William Wentworth to establish a system of titles in the colony of New South Wales. It was coined in 1853 by Daniel Deniehy in what came to be known as the ''Bunyip Aristocracy spee ...
".


Birth

William Charles Wentworth was born on the vessel HMS ''Surprize'' off the coast of the penal settlement of
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...
in August 1790 to
D'Arcy Wentworth D'Arcy Wentworth (14 February 1762 – 7 July 1827) was an Irish surgeon, the first paying passenger to arrive in the new colony of New South Wales. He served under the first seven governors of the Colony, and from 1810 to 1821, he was ''great ...
and Catherine Crowley. Catherine was a convict while his father, D'Arcy, was a member of the aristocratic Anglo-Irish Wentworth family, who had avoided prosecution for
highway robbery A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...
by accepting the position of assistant surgeon in the colony of
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
. Due to his mother being a felon and his conception being out of wedlock, confusion has existed around the exact date of William Wentworth's birth. His father, however, acknowledged him as a legitimate son and he became a part of colonial society as a Wentworth family member.


Early life

As a young boy William Wentworth moved from Norfolk Island to Sydney with his parents and younger brothers in 1796. The family lived at
Parramatta Parramatta () is a suburb and major Central business district, commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district on the ban ...
, where his father became a prosperous landowner. His mother died in 1800. In 1803, William and his brothers
Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
and Matthew, were sent to
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
to be educated at an exclusive school run by
Alexander Crombie Alexander Crombie FRS (1760–1840) was a Scottish Presbyterian minister, schoolmaster and philosopher. Biography He was born in Aberdeen on 17 July 1760, the son of Thomas Crombie. "He left three sons, Alexander Crombie, Esquire M.A. o ...
in
Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
. Wentworth failed to gain entry into both the
East India Company College The East India Company College, or East India College, was an educational establishment situated at Hailey, Hertfordshire, nineteen miles north of London, founded in 1806 to train "writers" (administrators) for the Honourable East India Company ( ...
and the Royal Military Academy and with his career prospects blunted, he returned to Sydney in 1810. He became a
jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
, riding his father's horse Gig to victory at
Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...
in the first official horse races on Australian soil. In 1811, he was appointed acting Provost Marshal by
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; gd, Lachann MacGuaire; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie se ...
, and given a grant of of prime land along the
Nepean River Nepean River (Darug: Yandhai), is a major perennial river, located in the south-west and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Nepean River and its associated mouth, the Hawkesbury River, almost encircles the metropolitan region of ...
which Wentworth named
Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
.


Crossing the Blue Mountains

In 1813 Wentworth, along with
Gregory Blaxland Gregory Blaxland (17 June 1778 – 1 January 1853) was an English pioneer farmer and explorer in Australia, noted especially for initiating and co-leading the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers. Early life ...
and William Lawson, led the expedition which found a route across the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and opened up the grazing lands of inland New South Wales. Wentworth kept a journal of the exploration which begins by describing the first day of the journey:
On the Eleventh of May our party consisting of Mr. Gregory Blaxland, Lieutenant Lawson and Myself with four servants quitted Mr. Gregory Blaxland's farm on the South Creek and on the 29th of the June Month descended from the Mountain into forest land having travelled as nearly as I can compute about 60 Miles.
In the journal, Wentworth describes the landscapes they were exploring:
A country of so singular a description could in my opinion only have been produced by some Mighty convulsion in Nature.
The town of
Wentworth Falls Wentworth Falls (postcode: 2782) is a town in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, situated approximately west of the Sydney central business district, and about east of Katoomba, Australia on the Great Western Highway, with a Went ...
in the Blue Mountains commemorates his role in the expedition. As a reward he was granted another . In 1814 Wentworth continued his adventurous lifestyle by joining a
sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
-getting voyage to the South Pacific aboard the ''Cumberland'' under Captain Philip Goodenough. This vessel reached
Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...
where conflict with the local people resulted in five of the crew being killed. Wentworth was nearly killed himself but with the aid of a pistol, he was able to flee to the ''Cumberland'' which sailed back to Sydney.


Studying in England

Wentworth returned to England in 1816 where he studied law at the Magdalene and
Peterhouse Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite o ...
colleges at
Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. He became a barrister and was
admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1822. He became involved in literary pursuits, publishing a number of notable works. He created a minor stir in 1816 by anonymously publishing a satirical verse attacking the Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, George Molle. In 1819 he published a book entitled: ''A Statistical, Historical, and Political Description of the Colony of New South Wales and Its Dependent Settlements in Van Diemen's Land.'' In this book Wentworth advocated for an elected assembly for New South Wales, free press, trial by jury and settlement of Australia by free emigrants rather than convicts. It served as the source material for the first theatrical play set in Van Diemen's Land (modern-day Tasmania), the
bushranging Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under ...
melodrama ''Michael Howe the Terror! of Van Diemen’s Land'', which premiered in London in 1821. In 1823 he also published an epic poem ''Australasia'', which contained the lines: :''And, O Britannia!... may this—thy last-born infant—then arise,'' :''To glad thy heart, and greet thy parent eyes;'' :''And Australasia float, with flag unfurl'd,'' :''A new Britannia in another world!'' In between studying and writing, Wentworth also travelled to Europe, spending much of his time in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. He formulated an idea of establishing himself as a leader of a pastoral aristocracy in New South Wales and attempted to arrange his marriage with Elizabeth Macarthur, the daughter of the highly influential colonist John Macarthur. Wentworth however failed in this attempt after arguing with the Macarthur patriarch over his convict heritage and a loan.


Influential colonist in New South Wales

Vaucluse House, built in 1803 and purchased by Wentworth in 1827 during his editorship of ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' Wentworth returned to Sydney in 1824, accompanied by fellow barrister Robert Wardell. He actively campaigned for the introduction of self-government and trial by jury in the colony by establishing with Wardell ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' newspaper, the colony's first privately owned paper. With an editorial leaning toward the rights of ex-convicts (known as
emancipist An emancipist was a convict sentenced and transported under the convict system to Australia, who had been given a conditional or absolute pardon. The term was also used to refer to those convicts whose sentences had expired, and might sometimes ...
s), the paper was in frequent conflict with Governor
Ralph Darling General Sir Ralph Darling, GCH (1772 – 2 April 1858) was a British Army officer who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831. He is popularly described as a tyrant, accused of torturing prisoners and banning theatrical entertai ...
, who attempted unsuccessfully to have it banned in 1826. Wentworth also became a director of the
Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway, New South Wales, Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches ...
in 1825. In 1827, Wentworth's father,
D'Arcy Wentworth D'Arcy Wentworth (14 February 1762 – 7 July 1827) was an Irish surgeon, the first paying passenger to arrive in the new colony of New South Wales. He served under the first seven governors of the Colony, and from 1810 to 1821, he was ''great ...
, died and William inherited much of his highly valuable assets and property, becoming one of the wealthiest men in the colony. He purchased land in eastern Sydney at
Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.Vaucluse House Vaucluse House is a heritage-listed residence, colonial farm and country estate and now tourist attraction, house museum and public park located at 69a Wentworth Road, Vaucluse in the Municipality of Woollahra local government area of New South ...
. Wentworth also acquired property in
Homebush Homebush is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. The name of ...
and in 1827 he received a grant of 12,000 acres of prime land along the
Hunter River Hunter River may refer to: *Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia *Hunter River (Western Australia) *Hunter River, New Zealand *Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada **Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada ...
at Luskintyre.


Becoming a powerful squatter

Wentworth expanded his property holdings, obtaining large pastoral grazing licenses throughout New South Wales. In 1832 he acquired land at Gammon Plains and in 1836 he bought the
Windermere Windermere (sometimes tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in length, and almost 1 mile (1.5 km) at its wides ...
estate expanding his Hunter River holdings. In the 1830s he formed partnerships with Captain Thomas Raine and John Christie in taking up land along the
Macquarie River The Macquarie River - Wambuul is part of the Macquarie– Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales, Australia. The river rises in the central highlands of New South Wales near the ...
from
Narromine Narromine ( /næroʊmaɪn/) is a rural Australian town located approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Dubbo in the Orana region of New South Wales. The town is at the centre of Narromine Shire. The 2016 census recorded a population o ...
to Haddon Rig. In the 1840s with John Charles Lloyd, he acquired further massive landholdings along the
Namoi River The Namoi River, a major perennial river that is part of the Barwon catchment of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes districts of New South Wales, Australia. The Namoi River rises on the west ...
and at Manilla. In the
Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...
region, Wentworth employed
Augustus Morris Augustus Morris ( – 29 August 1895) was a pastoralist and politician in New South Wales, Australia. He was born in Van Diemen's Land around 1820 to ex-convict and farmer Augustus Morris and Constantia Hibbins. He was educated at Hobart an ...
to establish huge squatting licenses in his name. Some of these properties were immense and became famous as highly valuable sheep and cattle stations. These included the 120,000 acre Yanko property, the 200,000 acre Tala station, the Wambianna cattle property and the Galathra and Burburgate holdings. Wentworth was able to obtain most of these vast accumulations of land for only the £10 annual squatting fee, and after stocking them, was able to sell the properties for considerable profit. In 1839, Wentworth led a consortium of Sydney speculators in an attempt to acquire large amounts of land in
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
by duping the resident
Māori people The Māori (, ) are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (). Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several ce ...
. In exchange for approximately £400 worth of trade, Wentworth laid claim to 8 million hectares which amounted to around a third of the entire New Zealand land mass. Governor
George Gipps Sir George Gipps (23 December 1790 – 28 February 1847) was the Governor of the British colony of New South Wales for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship oversaw a tumultuous period where the rights to land were bitterly conte ...
intervened and prevented the transaction from proceeding, openly accusing Wentworth of an outrageous and immoral fraud against the Māori. This heightened the fierce enmity between the squatters and Gipps, with Wentworth, now a leading member of the "
squattocracy Squatting is a historical Australian term that referred to someone who occupied a large tract of Crown land in order to graze livestock. Initially often having no legal rights to the land, squatters became recognised by the colonial government a ...
", swearing "eternal vengeance" against Gipps for his interference.


Conservative politician

During the 1830s, Wentworth continued to push his professed ideals of free emigration, trial by jury, rights for emancipists and elected representation. To further these aims, Wentworth and ex-convict
William Bland William Bland (5 November 1789 – 21 July 1868) was a transported convict, medical practitioner and surgeon, politician, farmer and inventor in the Colony of New South Wales, Australia. Early life Bland was born in London on 5 November 1789 ...
established in 1835 what is believed to be the first political party in Australia which they named the
Australian Patriotic Association The Australian Patriotic Association is considered the first political party in Australia. It was formed in 1835 by a group of influential colonists of New South Wales which had among its leaders William Wentworth, the son of a convict woman and ...
. However, by 1840 the political climate in New South Wales had changed and with Wentworth becoming one of the wealthiest and most powerful landholders in the colony, his views became very conservative. In 1842, the British government passed the Constitution Act for New South Wales which allowed for elected representatives to outnumber those nominated by the Crown in the
Legislative Council of New South Wales The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...
. The following year, 24 members were elected by eligible land-holding male citizens of the colony. Although these changes seemed to democratise governance in New South Wales, it in fact markedly increased the influence of the wealthy land-holding squatters due to the prerequisite of owning at least £2,000 worth of land in order to be a candidate. Wentworth was elected to the Council in 1843 for
City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...
and soon became the leader of the conservative party, opposed to the liberal-minded members led by Charles Cowper.


Leader of the "Squattocracy"

Wentworth positioned himself in government as a vocal leader for the wealthy squatters and landowners. He vehemently opposed any reforms that threatened the status of this "squattocracy" class and was instrumental in the removal of Governor Gipps in 1846 who wanted to fund free emigration to the colony through additional tariffs on squatting licences. With Gipps out of the picture, Wentworth was able to facilitate the passing of the Squatters' Act of 1848, which allowed for very favourable long-term pastoral leases to be handed out to the squatters. Convict transportation to the colony ended in 1840 and with it the squatters lost a very cheap source of labour to work on their properties. Wentworth no longer approved of free European migration to fill the void as this was more costly. With other members of the squattocracy such as
James Macarthur James Gordon MacArthur (December 8, 1937 – October 28, 2010) was an American actor with a long career in both movies and television. MacArthur's early work was predominantly in supporting roles in films. Later, he had a starring role as ...
, Wentworth advocated for the introduction of indentured Chinese
coolie A coolie (also spelled koelie, kuli, khuli, khulie, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a term for a low-wage labourer, typically of South Asian or East Asian descent. The word ''coolie'' was first popularized in the 16th century by European traders acros ...
labour and procured them as servants at his Vaucluse mansion and on his grazing properties. Wentworth advanced each coolie six
Spanish dollars The Spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight ( es, Real de a ocho, , , or ), is a silver coin of approximately diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content ...
to be paid back over a five year labour contract. He treated them very poorly and had them punished with jail terms of hard labour for absconding. On one occasion, an interpreter for the Chinese workers was imprisoned for translating their grievances against Wentworth in court. Wentworth also became a strong supporter of corporal and
capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
, wishing prisoners could be forced to work on treadmills. He openly advocated for the death penalty, considering it "beneficial to society". In light of these sentiments, the ''Australian'' newspaper, the progressive paper that Wentworth was no longer associated with, stated in the early 1850s that Wentworth's opinions were now worth nothing. In 1853 Wentworth chaired the committee to draft a new constitution for New South Wales, which was to receive full responsible self-government from Britain. His draft provided for a powerful unelected Legislative Council and an elected Legislative Assembly with high property qualifications for voting and membership. He also suggested the establishment of a colonial
peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...
drawn from the landowning class. He described people without property as "idiots, unfit to have any voice" in parliament. This draft aroused the bitter opposition of the democrats and radicals such as
Daniel Deniehy Daniel Henry Deniehy (18 August 1828 – 22 October 1865) was an Australian journalist, orator and politician; and early advocate of democracy in colonial New South Wales. Early life Deniehy was born in Sydney, the son of Henry and Mary Denie ...
, who ridiculed Wentworth's plans for what he called a "
bunyip aristocracy Bunyip aristocracy is an Australian term satirising attempts by William Wentworth to establish a system of titles in the colony of New South Wales. It was coined in 1853 by Daniel Deniehy in what came to be known as the ''Bunyip Aristocracy spee ...
". The draft constitution was substantially changed to make it more democratic, although the Legislative Council remained unelected. Despite his open prejudice against the poor, Wentworth was a strong supporter of universal education. He backed the introduction of a National School system in 1848 and in 1852 he helped found the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
.


Views on Aboriginal people

As a young writer in 1819, Wentworth saw
Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
as occupying "the lowest place in the gradatory scale of the human species" and took up an active role in denying Aboriginal people any legal protection during the process of colonisation. In 1827 Wentworth was the defense counsel for Lieutenant Nathaniel Lowe who was accused of shooting dead an Aboriginal prisoner. He stated to the court that Englishmen were justified in killing Aborigines as the law did not exist to protect people who were "one degree just above the beasts". Lowe was found not guilty. Wentworth was also very vocal in supporting the stockmen who were found guilty in 1838 of the slaughter of Aboriginal people during
Myall Creek massacre The Myall Creek massacre was the killing of at least twenty-eight unarmed Indigenous Australians by twelve colonists on 10 June 1838 at the Myall Creek near the Gwydir River, in northern New South Wales. After two trials, seven of the twelve c ...
. In 1844, when there was a push to reform the judicial system to allow evidence to be given by Aborigines, Wentworth was vociferous in his opposition. He claimed that the evidence given by "this savage race" would be comparative to the "chatterings of the ourang-outang," and would enable them to "wreak their revenge on the unfortunate white man". When the issue was brought before the Council again in 1849, Wentworth stated that:
"It was not the policy of a wise Government to attempt the perpetuation of the aboriginal race of New South Wales by any protective means. They must give way before the arms, aye! even the diseases of civilised nations—they must give way before they attained the power of those nations"
Outside of the court-room, Wentworth also promoted the subjugation of Aboriginal people through more practical means. The first Commandant of the
Native Police Australian native police units, consisting of Aboriginal troopers under the command (usually) of at least one white officer, existed in various forms in all Australian mainland colonies during the nineteenth and, in some cases, into the twentie ...
for the northern districts, Frederick Walker, was a personal friend of Wentworth's who also managed his immense property at Tala on the Murrumbidgee. Wentworth encouraged the establishment and continued funding of the Native Police, a paramilitary force that perpetrated innumerable massacres upon Aboriginal people throughout the second half of the 19th Century.


Return to England

Wentworth retired from the Legislative Council of New South Wales in 1854 and sailed for England in March of that same year. With the rise of free immigration during this gold rush period, his continued advocacy for indentured labour and a colonial peerage system made him an unpopular figure. He was heckled, hissed at and had his speech interrupted by the public during his departure ceremony at
Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping port, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the northern edge of the Syd ...
. Once in England, he founded the "General Association for the Australian Colonies", whose object was to obtain a federal assembly for the whole of Australia. He refused several offers of honours, and was a member of the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
and the Conservative Club. He returned to New South Wales for a brief period in 1860-61 to lead the New South Wales Legislative Council, but otherwise remained in England at his Merly House estate.


Death and burial

Wentworth died on 20 March 1872 at
Merley House, Wimborne Merley House in Wimborne Minster, Wimborne, Dorset, England, is a building of historical significance and is Grade I listed on the English Heritage Register. It was built in 1752 by the bibliophile Ralph Willett and remained in the Willett family ...
, Dorset, in England. His combined wealth at the time of his passing was £170,000. At his request his body was returned to Sydney for burial. He was given the colony's first
state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...
on 6 May 1873, a day declared by the governor as a public holiday. Around 65,000 people lined the route of the funeral procession to Vaucluse where Wentworth was buried. The Wentworth Mausoleum was soon after constructed over his grave.


Family

On 26 October 1829 at St Philip's Church Hill, Sydney, William Wentworth married Sarah Cox (1805–1880), with whom he had seven daughters and three sons: * Thomasine Wentworth (1825–1913) * William Charles Wentworth (1827–1859) * Fanny Katherine Wentworth (1829–1893) * Fitzwilliam Wentworth (1833–1915) married Mary Jane Hill, daughter of George Hill ** William Charles Wentworth III (1871–1949) married Florence Denise Griffiths, daughter of
George Neville Griffiths George Neville Griffiths (23 January 1840 – 28 April 1905) was a New South Wales colonial politician. He was born in Sydney to banker George Richard Griffiths and Letitita Chatfield. Educated in England, he graduated from Cambridge Univers ...
*** William Charles Wentworth IV (1907–2003) (known as
Bill Wentworth William Charles Wentworth (8 September 1907 – 15 June 2003), usually known as Bill Wentworth and sometimes referred to by others as William Charles Wentworth IV, was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party for most of ...
,
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
member of Parliament 1949–77) *** Diana Wentworth Wentworth married Mungo Ballardie MacCallum (1913–99) ****
Mungo Wentworth MacCallum Mungo Wentworth MacCallum (21 December 1941 – 9 December 2020) was an Australian political journalist and commentator. MacCallum was once described by Gough Whitlam as a "tall, bearded descendant of lunatic aristocrats". His father, Mungo Bal ...
(1941–2020) * Sarah Eleanor Wentworth (1835–1857) * Eliza Sophia Wentworth (1838–1898) * Isabella Christiana (''Christina'') Wentworth (1840–1856) * Laura Wentworth (1842–1887) married Henry William Keays-Young in 1872. * Edith Wentworth (1845–1891) married Rev.
Sir Charles Gordon-Cumming-Dunbar, 9th Baronet Charles Gordon-Cumming-Dunbar (b Elgin 14 February 1844 - d Ramsgate 8 January 1916) was an Anglican priest in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was educated at Winchester College and the University of Jena; and ordained in ...
in 1872. * D'Arcy Bland Wentworth (1848–1922). He fathered at least one other child out of wedlock with Jamima Eagar, the estranged wife of
Edward Eagar Edward Eagar (1787–1866) was a lawyer, merchant and criminal. Early life Eagar was born in Killarney, Ireland. His parents were landed gentry so he was well educated. He trained as a solicitor and became an attorney to His Majesty's Courts in ...
.


Legacy

The towns of
Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...
and
Wentworth Falls Wentworth Falls (postcode: 2782) is a town in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, situated approximately west of the Sydney central business district, and about east of Katoomba, Australia on the Great Western Highway, with a Went ...
, the federal
Division of Wentworth The Division of Wentworth is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. History The division was proclaimed in 1900 and was one of the original 65 divisions contested at the first federal election. The division is nam ...
, an electorate in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, the
Wentworth Falls Wentworth Falls (postcode: 2782) is a town in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, situated approximately west of the Sydney central business district, and about east of Katoomba, Australia on the Great Western Highway, with a Went ...
waterfall, and Wentworth Avenue which runs through the suburb of Kingston in
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, were named after him. In 1963 he was honoured, together with Blaxland and Lawson, on a postage stamp issued by Australia Post depicting the Blue Mountains crossing, and again in 1974 on the anniversary of the first newspaper publication. The Wentworth Building, built in 1972 to accommodate the
University of Sydney Union The University of Sydney Union (USU), established in 1874, is the student-run services and amenities provider at the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia. The USU's key services include the provision of food and beverages, retail outlets ...
, was named after him. Wentworth's clash with Darling was dramatised in the TV series '' The Patriots'' (1962). An high statue of Wentworth, sculpted by
Pietro Tenerani Pietro Tenerani (11 November 1789 – 16 December 1869) was an Italian sculptor of the Neoclassic style. Biography He was born in Torano, near Carrara. He initially trained with his maternal uncle, the sculptor Pietro Marchetti, and in 18 ...
of Rome, stands at the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
. Another statue of Wentworth is located on the exterior of the
Department of Lands building The Department of Lands building is a heritage-listed state government administrative building of the Victorian Renaissance Revival architectural style located in Bridge Street in the Sydney central business district of New South Wales, Austra ...
in Sydney.


Works

* ''A Statistical Account of the British Settlements in Australasia (1819)'' * ''Journal of an expedition, across the Blue Mountains, 11 May-6 June 1813'', 1813''Journal of an expedition, across the Blue Mountains, 11 May-6 June 1813'', 1813
/ref> * ''Australasia: a poem written for the Chancellor's Medal at the Cambridge commencement, July 1823'', London: G. and W.B. Whittaker, 1823


Sources

* Barton, ''The Poets and Prose Writers of New South Wales'' (Sydney, 1866) * Rusden, ''History of Australia'' (London, 1883) * Sir
Bernard Burke Sir John Bernard Burke, (5 January 1814 – 12 December 1892) was a British genealogist and Ulster King of Arms, who helped publish ''Burke's Peerage''. Personal life Burke, of Irish descent, was born at London and was educated in London an ...


''History of the Colonial Gentry'' Vol 1: 1891: pps.95-97: Wentworth * Lewis Deer and John Barr: ''Australia's First Patriot: The Story of William C. Wentworth'': Angus & Robertson Ltd.: Sydney 1911. * K. R. Cramp, M. A.: ''William Charles Wentworth of Vaucluse House'': A.H. Pettifer Government Printer: Third Edition 1923 * Michael Persse: ''Wentworth, William Charles (1790–1872)'' * Michael Persse. ''W. C. Wentworth'', Oxford University Press, Melbourne 1972 (comprising 30 pages). *
Carol Liston Carol Ann Liston is an Australian historian and academic researcher who specialises in the history of colonial New South Wales from 1788 to 1860. She is associate professor of history at Western Sydney University, in the School of Humanities and ...
(1988). ''Sarah Wentworth, Mistress of Vaucluse'': Historic Houses Trust of NSW . * John Ritchi
John Ritchie: Obituary. Retrieved 12 December 2012
(1997). ''The Wentworths: Father and Son.'' The Miegunyah Press at Melbourne University Press. . * Ivy Bailey (1999). ''Single-handed Patriot: A Story of William Charles Wentworth'': Book House: Glebe, NSW. . * Andrew Tink (2009)
''William Charles Wentworth: Australia's greatest native son''
Allen & Unwin. * Robert Griffin, Joy Hughes, Anne Toy and Peter Watts: ''Vaucluse House: A History and Guide'': Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales: 3rd Edition 2006.


See also

*
Political families of Australia A political family of Australia (also called a political dynasty) is a family in which multiple members are involved in Australian politics, particularly electoral politics. Members may be related by blood or marriage; often several generations ...
: ''Wentworth/Hill/Griffiths/Scott/Cooper family'' *
Wentworth family The members of the Wentworth family of both the U.S. and Australia, as listed below, are descended from Thomas Wentworth and Jane, the daughter of Sir Oliver Mirfield. Sir Oliver died about 1522. The American Wentworths of New Hampshire are descen ...


References


External links


Portrait of William Charles Wentworth (bronze medallion)
in the
National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

Portrait of William Charles Wentworth (copy print)
digitised and held by the
State Library of Queensland The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...

The Wentworth family

New South Wales State Library: Catalogue: Crossing the Blue Mountains
* * * *   {{DEFAULTSORT:Wentworth, William 1790 births 1872 deaths People born at sea Australian explorers Explorers of Australia Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Presidents of the New South Wales Legislative Council Australian journalists Politicians from Sydney Writers from New South Wales Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge Australian Freemasons 19th-century Australian poets 19th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian historians Burials in New South Wales Australian newspaper proprietors 19th-century newspaper founders 19th-century Australian businesspeople Lawyers from Sydney